Many firearms that are commonly used in military situations are designed by their manufacturer to be particularly suitable for military or combat purposes. These rifles are often referred to as “assault rifles”. The AR-15 family of firearms, including the M16-type firearms, illustrates examples of assault rifles that are designed by their manufacturer to be particularly suitable for military or combat assault purposes. M16-type firearms are a military version of the AR-15 family of firearms capable of operating in a fully automatic mode. M16-type firearms have been manufactured by companies including, but not limited to Colt's Manufacturing Company, the ArmaLite Division of Fairchild Aircraft and Engine Company, Bushmaster Firearms Incorporated and Fabrique Nationale.
Sporting rifles, which are commonly used in sporting events such as hunting and match target shooting, are designed by their manufacturers to be particularly suitable for sporting purposes. The Ruger Mini-30, Ruger Ranch Rifle, Remington 742 and Browning BAR are examples of sporting rifles that are designed by their manufacturers to be particularly suitable for sporting purposes, which makes them particularly attractive for use in sporting activities and events. Furthermore, sporting rifles are typically designed to have attractive aesthetics such as fine wooden stocks and highly polished blued metal surfaces. While aesthetically pleasing, such aesthetic features do not hold up well to poor weather conditions and hard use.
Patrol rifles, which are commonly used in law enforcement situations, are designed by their manufacturers to be particularly suitable for law enforcement patrol purposes. The Remington 7615-P, Ruger Mini-14 GB, Ruger AC-556 and KEL-TEC SU-16 are examples of patrol rifles that are designed by their manufacturers to be particularly suitable for law enforcement patrol purposes, which make them particularly attractive for use by law enforcement personnel. Like sporting rifles, law enforcement patrol rifles are often manufactured with attractive aesthetics such as fine wooden stocks and highly polished blued metal surfaces. Accordingly, while aesthetically pleasing, such aesthetic features do not hold up well to poor weather conditions and hard use.
Shortcomings and drawbacks of traditional sporting rifles and patrol rifles include their fine metal finishes and attractive features. Other drawbacks of prior-art sporting rifles and patrol rifles are the frequent lack of availability and interchange ability of replacement components, as these components are often hand-fitted upon final assembly at the factory. Still a further drawback of prior-art sporting rifles and patrol rifles are the lack of accessories and upgrade components when compared to those of M16-type firearms.
In many cases, police armorers and manufacturers of military style assault rifles attempt to adapt such military-style assault rifles for law enforcement patrol purposes. Often, as manufactured military M16-type assault weapons are employed in the role of a civilian law enforcement patrol rifle. In some instances, shooters and manufacturers of M16-style military assault rifles attempt to adapt them for sporting purposes. Examples of such adaptation include removing or modifying an element of the weapon (e.g., flash hider, bayonet lug, pistol grip), fitting the weapon with a thumb hole stock that mounts to a standard lower receiver body, pinning a telescoping stock in its open position, and/or pinning a magazine to the receiver body such that it is not detachable. Clearly, such approaches are limited in their effectiveness and/or usefulness.
As originally designed by their respective manufacturer(s), the AR-15, M16, M4, AR-10 and SR-25 firearms are collectively and generically referred to in the industry as “M16-type” firearms. M16-type firearms are typically auto loading and are usually either semi-automatic, full-automatic, burst-fire, selective-fire, or a combination of the above. Because of features such as automatic operation, pistol grip, flash hider, 30-round detachable magazine, bayonet lug and telescoping stock, M16-type firearms are considered by some to be particularly suitable for military missions and combat assault purposes. Conversely, they are not well suited and/or well received for the role as a rifle for sporting or patrol activities, largely due to their appearance being intimidating to some people.
M16-type firearms have been the primary service weapons of the US Armed. Forces and many of its allies around the world for more than forty years. Accordingly, many sportsmen and law enforcement personnel have been trained with M16-type firearms while serving in the military. M16-type firearms have become very popular with both returning servicemen from the Vietnam era and more recent wars as well as with civilian collector and shooting enthusiasts. M16-type firearms are manufactured for hard combat use in all-weather conditions. Accordingly, plastics and lightweight alloy metals are used in place of wood and steel for durability and lighter weight. Steel surfaces are usually phosphate finished instead of fine blued, and alloy (e.g., aluminium) surfaces are finished with hard coat non-reflective anodizing. As lives are at stake in military combat situations, the reliability and durability of combat weapons such as M16-type firearms is much greater than that of traditional both sporting and patrol rifles. Additionally, the duty cycles of internal components will in many cases far surpass those of traditional sporting and patrol rifles.
Many companies that manufacture M16-type firearms often seek to expand their market share by offering a semi-automatic only version of their M16-type firearms (i.e., generically as AR-15 type firearms). Most of the components of an M16-type firearm are interchangeable with those of an AR-15 type firearm, with the usual exceptions being the bolt carrier and fire control components that distinguish one from being semi-automatic and the other from being full-automatic. Because AR-15/M16-type firearms are manufactured in great quantities for supply to the US Military and its allies, replacement components and spare parts are rugged, interchangeable and manufactured in great quantities to support the logistics of repair in the field.
A very significant aftermarket industry has also evolved to support the demand for the popular AR-15/M16-type firearms and their respective myriad accessories for civilian, law-enforcement and military consumers. Examples of accessories are items such as a bipod, flashlight, MIL-STD-1913 hand guard, grip-pod, optical device, sound or flash suppressor; threaded barrel, grenade launcher, flare launcher or other device which is adapted or may be adapted to modern military style assault weapons to enhance their field capability. While usually envisioned and marketed for military use, many of these same accessories would be very practical for sporting and law enforcement uses.
In recent decades, AR-15/M16-type firearms have come under political attack by politicians wishing to ban them from civilian ownership. Supporters of legislation to ban “assault weapons” often cite rampage shootings as the reason for their support of anti-gun laws and, in particular, bans against rifles considered to be assault weapons. Even though shooters in such rampage shooting are obviously mentally deranged and/or did not use an assault rifle to commit such crimes, legislation has been proposed or passed that either limits ownership or outright bans ownership of so-called “Semi-Automatic Assault Weapons”. In all cases, the bans or proposed bans of a rifle fully or partially rely on a rifle's physical features to define what is considered a banned weapon. Examples of such physical features include, but are not limited to, pistol grip, flash hider, threaded barrel, collapsible stock, grenade launcher, high capacity feeding device, detachable magazine or a combination of features that makes the weapon “not particularly suitable for sporting purposes.”
The first such ban is the 1934 National Firearms Act, which restricts the transfer and possession of machine guns and other firearms. The 1968 Gun Control Act restricts the importation of many foreign firearms and regulates the methods of sale and transfer of firearms. The 1986 Firearm Owners Protection Act restricts manufacture and ownership of full-automatic weapons. The 1989 Assault Weapon Importation Ban was signed into effect by President George H. Bush, followed by the Assault Weapon Ban of 1994 signed by President William Jefferson Clinton (i.e., the Clinton Ban), which is considered by many in the firearm industry to be the most restrictive gun control legislation passed to date. In 2004, the “Clinton Ban” expired after 10 years in force. A current Bill of Congress is HR 1022 and HR 1312 (109th), which seeks to reinstate the “Clinton Ban”, includes additional firearm restrictions. Regrettably, none of the aforementioned gun bans take into account the mental status of the criminal shooter, yet they rely solely on origin of manufacture, and physical features and appearances of a class of firearm.
When such a class of firearm is restricted in commerce because of its physical characteristics and appearance, both law enforcement personnel and law abiding civilian citizens are adversely affected by the ban and consequently, denied full ownership and use of a class of firearm that has proven to be reliable, durable and useful in all type of weather. Additionally, a significant industry that caters to military, law enforcement and responsible civilian shooters suffers economic hardship. In many cases, these businesses cannot survive and, when they go out of business, the US Military and its allies are then unable to purchase unique goods that can enhance a soldier's mission success and survivability in combat.
In support of the “Global War on Terrorism” brought about by the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks of Sep. 11, 2001, police in the United States (US) have been deployed in a more ready state to meet what is considered an imminent terrorist threat. While such types of deployment are common in some foreign countries and parts of Europe, historically, US law enforcement personnel have not been positioned on the streets of the US while visibly armed with machine guns and assault rifles. Because this has not been a traditional scene in US culture, the sight of police officers armed with assault rifles and machine guns causes discomfort and concern with a large segment of US citizens that may feel that they now live in a type of “police state” or combat zone. It is the same physical features and appearances of assault rifles that are the subject of various “assault weapon” bans that cause citizens to be alarmed when law enforcement personnel are armed with such weapons on US streets, airports, train stations and marine ports.
Therefore, a modular sporting rifle and a modular patrol rifle that overcomes drawbacks, limitations and/or shortcomings associated with sporting rifles, patrol rifles and rifles considered to be assault weapons would be advantageous, desirable and useful.